The Gods of Man
The Ordainian Pantheon of gods has come to dominate the realm of humanity, a pillar on which their faith battles incessantly against that of the Void. While other nations sport a few other known gods, the Ordainian pantheon rules all others openly. A shrine to every god can be found in every town and village, funded by each priesthood to reach every corner of the human world. The Gods outside of the Empire of Ordain is known as the Gods of Might and Light. Ordanus Father of the Ordainian Gods, hard but gentle and “grandfatherly wise.” God of life, light, and wisdom. The Faith of Ordanus is the principle religious force in the lives of Mainland Ordainians. Clerics of the faith are involved in many aspects of regular life and act as a secret force against the Void. Marriages, births, anointment, naming, healing, teaching and other aspects of life all have Ordanus's clerics taking an active roll or hand in. While marriage and births and naming is also associated with Iralenda, and death is also associated with Monanith, the father god is also associated. Temples to Ordanus are always made of the most pure white marble and are columned with intricate detail. The holy book of Ordanus is etched into the walls of the temple, across its entire surface, alongside glorious carvings of the priesthood's deeds in the past. The Grand Fervor of Ordanus: '' The military order of the father god is the second largest Fervor, ''assembled. These holy warriors are deeply pious and forceful in the lives of Ordainians. Against the Void these warriors are at the forefront of the battle. Each bares a large warhammer molded into the fist of Ordanus, which is also the heraldic symbol of House Conclave, and an iron bound holy book and wears heavy plate armor acid etched in powerful divine verses and white cloaks emblazoned with the clenched fist and book. Each member of the ''Fervor ''takes a vow early on to root out all corruption influenced by the Void, and to battle it with conviction wherever found. They can be distrustful of magic, because it can be used to hide behind. Those who use the Shadow Weave are beacons that these clerics look to destroy and they do an exceeding good job at doing so. 'Scilicius The God of War, Vengeance and Redemption. Before the rise of Ordanus in popularity, and before Ordain became an empire, it was Scilicius that dominated Ordainian religious culture. Ordain's beginnings were written in near constant warfare with all their neighbors, as raiders who sailed the coasts and plucked at isolated targets. Every Ordainian male in this early period called themselves the Sons of Scilicius. Scilicius in turn gave great boons to his most loyal followers, granting Ordainians a taller, broader frame and stout constitution. It is also said that he gave the Ordainians knowledge through dreams on subjects like warcraft and metallurgy. Temples to Scilicius are spartan dwellings of bleak, gray stone and rounded to appear a shield from the level of the sky. Names of great warriors are carved into the walls, and some temples have names covering most surfaces inside and out. '''''The Bloodied Fervor of Scilicius: '' The Blood Cloaks as they are known are the clerics of this military order. Every Ordainian Legacie has units of men set at eleven. For every unit of ten men one man is a Blood Cloak, who leads the unit in the thick of battle, shouting encouragement, and bearing the divine power of Scilicius with an enchanted great-sword that glows a brilliant crimson on command. These Blood Cloaks have sown fear and terror in enemy lines since the rise of Ordain, and have been instrumental in the success of the Empire's war machine. When not in battle they operate as an elite military police force, and when garrisoned in a city they bolster the ranks of the city guard with royal decree to deal with dissidents and enemy spies. '''Groudon' Protector of the Glade, Lord of the Land, God of the Harvest, Hunt and Herd The woodland faith of Groudon spread during Ordain's 1st agricultural boom after it had secured control of all land inside the Shield of Ordain in what is now called Mainland Ordain. The all the land came to encompass the passionate faith under Groudon's dominion. Though he is mainly worshiped by druids, huntsmen, farmers and herders, Groudon is also considered a prime deity in craftsmanship and mining, as it is through his divine grace that products are taken from nature and turned into every day objects. Temples to Groudon are beautiful and natural structures, built by druids who are the priesthood of the faith. No two temples are alike as druids morph and shape each building using divine magics to twist living trees and shape stone into many shapes to form the walls, floors and ceilings of each sanctuary. Each temple is also situated in a glade of green grass, a pool of fresh, cool spring water and massive, towering ironwood trees. The Fervor of Leaves: The Green Warders are men and women who serve Groudon in keeping balance between civilization and the natural world. They are druids and rangers who keep and protect the land from human devastation as much as possible. It is a difficult task and a constant battle, as mankind constant seeks to exploit the natural resources of the world. The Green Warders note that even though the dwarfs are highly industrious that even the bearded folk have a reverence and balance with nature, a lesson that they are keen to equip mankind with. Iralenda Goddess of Love, Compassion, Fertility, Family and Diplomacy and the Goddess of Healing The graceful Goddess, Iralenda has been the glue of Ordainian unity since the earliest times. The faith of the Goddess is the only one that has any hand in politics out of all the Ordainian gods. She is seen as the goddess of truce and diplomacy that can avoid the devastation that comes with war. Even during war the priestesses constantly seek to end the conflict as early as possible, for during war families are lost and love can be forgotten. She shares many dominions with Ordanus, such as healing and marriage, and both names are invoked for each process. All disputes are resolved under the stern watch of a priestess of Iralenda, and law is often upheld in her name. Temples to Iralenda are some of the largest structures devoted to any of the gods, as they are both religious sanctuary at their hearts that are also large hospitals. A temple will generally sit in the middle of a horseshoe complex, with the temple offering religious services such as weddings, and dealings with disputes and law with the rest of the complex devoted to healing and taking in the poor. The Fervor of Justice: Iralenda is solely run by women, and is the only faith that does not admit the opposite sex. Even the priesthood of Scilicius which is male dominated, allows admittance to women. The Fervor of Justice is an order that teaches and trains women in the art of diplomacy, law and healing. They serve as a free public service to deal with the sick and impoverished, and each priestess who belongs to the school of healing is required to take care of the public, making rounds and house calls to anyone that even might need healing. They keep open ears and look for those who are sick but unwilling to seek treatment, and treat them for the betterment of society, saving cities from the plague ridden past. Talention The Ordainian god of luck, trade and good speed. In the beginning of Ordain's rise the people rose chants to Talention when they set out to raid, offering a ram, Talention's animal as a sacrifice on the bow of their swordships. They called for good wind, concealing mist, manageable waves and great loot. Since that time, Talention has come to dominate the world of Ordainian trade and commerce between the various peoples and nations of the world. A shrine to him is often set in every merchant's house and his symbol of twisting rams horns are always above the doors of every respectable place of business. Travelers will often also seek to offer something to Talention's temple before their travels in hopes the god will keep roads clear of anything that would impede their advance. The use of ruttock horns on the Ordainian legacier's helm also came about as a call to the god of luck to help keep men on the side of victory during battle. Its secondary effect of instilling fear in foes was just a bonus. The Pathed Fervor: Many men can claim to have been part of the Pathed Ferver of the God of Luck, as many young men seeking adventure come to the steps of Talention's temple and there swear oaths beneath the gaze of hardened clerics. They join up for one simple reason, Talention's Fervor guards the highways and roads of the Empire and beyond. Many of these young men are then trained for four months on martial exercises and riding before becoming full members of the Order. They are then given second hand weapons and armor to be used until their time with the Order is done, in which they hand it back to be refurbished for the next person. They are then given contract to serve as caravan guards across the length of the continent, earning coin in the process. Merchants seeking protection will always come to a temple of Talention to hire guards for their journey. Ten percent of each guard's pay goes to the temple to help train and house men of the Fervor. Each man's duty is to defend the property of Talention until it reaches it's destination. Any man who fails in this duty and runs from a fight is hunted down by the Order and hanged as a criminal, preserving the Order's reputation. Skalalorsa Goddess of the waves and water, of the storms and sky. During Ordain's beginning they were a people tied to the land, without much knowledge on how to transverse the waves of the great bodies of water. Skalalorsa, Goddess of the waves and water, the storms and sky came to a man and his wife in the night appearing as a simmering bolt of lightning. She imparted to each the concepts and knowledge of conquering the seas. In a hundred years the Ordainians had changed. No longer would land keep them bound. They breathed in the salt of the sea, let it commingle with their blood and forever change their attitude on the world. Every Ordainian settlement, city, town, village, and home Skalalorsa was given a place of worship. Even far from the sea she is looked to to bring holy rain to the fields, or part the clouds that the sun may shine upon the land. The Cerulean Fervor of Skalalorsa: Clerics of the Sky, the Cerulean Fervor is known in every town and village. They are often solitary and seek to maintain the main temples and shrines to the Goddess. Each is called, for to serve the Goddess the Storms you must hear her thunder in every moment of your life. Each serves as a powerful cleric, with their goddess's power flowing through them. Many serve the towns in which they reside by finding fresh water, and asking the goddess for portents on the weather. When the Goddess's storms cause flooding and damage or if they never come, the sky cleric is called to find out why. Others serve on many ships across the world, using their powers to grant wind to the sails and protect the men on board from wrathful waves. Chronomoth God of Time, past, present and future. He shares the overlord powers of arcane magics with Xeodar. Chronomoth was an Ordainian god of small note for a long time with Xeodar often taking main stage when it came to arcane magics. He rose in stature when the Ordainians found another race worshiped him as well, the Glassians. For the Glassians he is their only god aside from the war god. He is the god of the endless sands, heat, the glass of time and lord of Glass Magic. Protecting artifacts of magical nature is something that Chronomoth echoed to the Ordainains. His presence as the master of time also acted to intertwine the god with the Ordainains who sought to control their lives as much as possible. It was mages however that continued to bring Chronomoth to the forefront of Ordainain culture. His arcane domain gave them an alternative to deviate towards instead of the often stiff Xeodar. The Shifting Fervor of Chronomoth: This Order is new compared to the other fervors, having only been around for three hundred years. They are known as the Gold Robes with the Order dominated by traveling monks and mages. Monk or mage, both serve Chronomoth in the same capacity, the protection of arcane knowledge. Each does this in different way. Monks travel the lands seeking long forgotten lore, tomes of knowledge and things marked by the Art. They then take these to repositories of arcane knowledge, kept by the mages of the Order. The mages will copy the work, and preserve the original, making sure that the secrets are not lost for a second time. These repositories are centers of arcane learning across the world. Mages from all over come to see if they can find a new spell, ritual, or lore to learn. The largest of these libraries is in the City of Eternal Weaves, with hundreds of thousands of tomes, scrolls and artifacts. Monanith God of death and the underworld. Guide to the next lives. Even in Ordain's earliest years they held a firm belief in Monanith, the Lord of Death, Master of Ravens and the Guiding Light of Ways. Each Ordainian is taught that Monanith looks upon them through the eyes of ravens and crows. Early on Ordainians left bodies out to the sky, to corrode with time and become a feast for Monanith's flying host, but slowly the people began to transition to a more earthly burial ground. They entombed bodies in great catacombs carved into solid stone and set images of ravens and crows about the place like gargoyles. Monanith's sigil stands pressed on every grave, every door to sacred places of the dead. Each sigil and glyph keeps the dead where they are and those who would disturb them far away to keep them from their treacherous deed. The Ebon Fervor of Monanith: Also known as the Deathwatch, those that serve in the Ebon Fervor are usually widows and widowers who find they cannot move on from the passing of a significant other. Parents who lose their children are also apt to join the order. These men and women serve as the silent guardians of the Ordainian dead. Each member is trained in simple martial combat mainly to ward off grave robbers and tomb raiders, but their main training comes in combating those who use void magic. They are all trained in the use of grounding spells and wards. Some of these members rise to become prominent spell-casters in their own right and are extremely difficult to combat in the magical arena. With a large repertoire of spells at their disposal that ward, deflect and ground oncoming magic and with great skill at keeping places safe from unwanted hands they are often sought out to place magical barriers on things beyond the grave. Xeodar God and overlord of all magics, arcane and divine. The father of the four guardians of the weaves. Overlord of all magics and the father of the four guardians of the weaves, Xeodar is a god who rivals Ordanus in power. All clerics and all mages must acknowledge his overarching dominion, and all gods must go through him to grant power to their mortal followers. He however has no temples, no shrines to his power, and very few clerics and mages actually worship him in any frequency. Xeodar does not demand or need such prayers, nor does he much care. Often seen as a stiff god that borders a beyond-being, a god who is beyond the power structure of typical gods. Chronomoth rules the dominion of arcane magic alongside Xeodar, but Xeodar is known to have a much more powerful command of that portfolio. Xeodar also has no Holy Fervor to call his own due to his lack of actual and consistent worship. The Gods of The Xerians The Xerians are one of the few remaining holdouts in the lands ruled by men that keep their own gods and do not bow to the dominance of the Ordainian Pantheon. Their gods are known as The Three, and operate differently than all other deities in the Aggal world. Born of the people of the Immortal Steppe, the Three embody the views and unique culture of the Xerian people. 'Tan'Gres:' Known as The Father, Tan'Gres is the main embodiment of the three gods. Although all three gods are technically just versions of one another, it is considered that all are just embodiment and alternate versions of Tan'Gres himself. In a sense, the Xerians have only one god, who is Tan'Gres with Un'Waya and Ael-Yu as simple divisions of Tan'Gres himself. Above all things the Xerians revere the Immortal Steppe and the Eternal Sky with Tan'Gres representing both in his divine form. Every element, every part of the natural world has a reflection as one of the Three, and Tan'Gres usually takes reflection as some of the most prolific parts of the Xerian's steppe homeland. Rain and fire are key to Xerian culture and Tan'Gres is always seen in both. He is also the god that is called to for protection in all forms, such as protection from enemies, protection from evil and protection from sickness. Unlike most human cultures, Xerians use few types of weapons, but those they do use have become integral to their culture, and those they do use are seen in the hands of one of the Holy Three. The Father embodies the most sacred weapon of the Xerians, the spear. Nomads to a core, Xerians value the spear as both a weapon of war and of hunting, and while they have bows and use them masterfully, the spear is prized and ranked above even the bow. Known as the Gres-Kal, the Xerian spear is a masterful and graceful weapon with two heads, one at each end with the center made of precious ironwood, cultivated in three great dales in hidden parts of the Vast Steppe. Every spear that is made is blessed by both a shaman and a druid so that they are highly resilient and light and that they grow with their wielder from the time they are finished to the time their wielder dies in which they are then given to the land and sky to return. One head of the spear is often made curved, for better cutting, while the second is often made purely for stabbing and thrusting, allowing the wielder of the spear to be versatile in his/her dance. Un'Waya: Goddess of the Immortal Steppe or the land and all that it embodies, the sacred flowing rivers and streams, Un'Waya is the female form of Tan'Gres and known either as the Mother, the Daughter or the Sister. Un'Waya is also known as the reflection of Thought and Truth. For Xerians, lying is a terrible sin as it takes away from of your being. A person's truth is all that makes them up and to lie is tantamount to having chipped away a piece of your being. While Tan'Gres is a reflection of falling rain, Un'Waya is a reflection of running water and Ael-Yu is a reflection of standing water or contained water. Rain can be scarce during some years, and because the steppes are so vast, finding water for an entire clan and their horses, and livestock is a continuous process and water at all opportunities is given a deep amount of respect. Xerians never spend long in one area, fearing that they would use all the water, even if there is a great river, they will leave it so that it can be replenished in their absence for them to return to later. The Immortal Steppe is seen in a greater sense as the reflection of Tan'Gres, while Un'Waya is seen as a reflection of the land itself, rather than a broad vision of the vast sea of grassland. More importantly, Un'Waya is seen as the land that bears itself to feed and nurture the Xerian people and their animals. Grass, fruits, wild vegetables and other bearings of the land are seen as gifts of Un'Waya, and to be tended and treated with respect. For the Xerian people, no animal is more sacred and revered than the horse. Their entire lives revolve around the horse, and each clan and the horse-bonded faction within each clan maintain great herds of prized horses. From the backs of these roans, Xerians have proven to be the best horsemen in the known world. Each rider employs a recurved composite bow made of a core of bamboo, with horn on the belly and sinew on the back, bound together with animal glue, a quiver of arrows, a one handed cavalry axe, three javelins, and what the Xerian's call a "spear-lance." In times of war these men ride into battle equipped in heavy leather laminar armor, and once done damaging enemies from afar they will reform and charge together with spear-lances leveled. Ael-Yu: When thunder booms and lightning flashes across the sky, the sign of Ael-Yu is moved with hand across chest and the name of Ael-Yu is uttered. The third form of Tan'Gres, Ael-Yu is known as the Son or the Brother. Ael-Yu reflects himself in "standing" bodies of water such as lakes and ponds, or contained water such as that in jugs or waterskins. He is also the form of the land that takes on hardness, such as stone or metal, and he is highly reflected in the form of the sacred ironwood trees that grow in hidden and sacred groves in secluded dales and valleys across the Immortal Steppe. Winter and death are other reflections of Ael-Yu, and he is the most serious and grim of the holy Three. When winter comes to the Steppe, life battles blizzards and frigid hell sets in as most Xerians head south and camp around their one settled and holy city and it is seen as Ael-Yu's most sacred time, recognized by his frozen grip on the land. It is through the teachings of Ael-Yu that the Xerians give their dead up to what is known as sky burial. All bodies, save for those of shamans, druids and chieftains and their families are given up to the sky atop a raised bed of wood or stone, allowing the elements and animals to reclaim the body. Those not given up to the sky are buried in great barrow mounds, and catacombs in a clan's territory, while chieftains are buried in tomb mounds in their one settled and holy city. Because of his grimness, Ael-Yu is also reflected in warfare, as the principle god of war for the Xerians and the one whom they call upon to bless their arms, weapons and steeds. In battle Xerians charge either on foot or on horseback and roar out terrible war cries taught by Ael-Yu, which have been proven effective in unnerving non-Xerian warriors. Flying death is reflected in Ael-Yu's sacred warbow, carried by both horse-bonded and feathered-souled clan factions. The feathered-souled are among the best archers in lands of men, beaten only by the legendary archers of Everhold in Central Ordain. From Ael-Yu's teachings, these men and women have proven to be almost "zen" like in their skill and concentration with the bow and arrow, practicing every day, rain or shine, windy and frozen.